The Grenada gazette. (Grenada, Miss.) 1885-18??, 1887-03-05
A BABY MONKEY.
Tie Was So knowing That He Never Had
Any Name But the "Old Man."

Tie Was Sc knowing That He Never Had
Any Name hut the "Old a +.
Mr.. Hornaday, the chief taxidermist
of the National Museum at Washing
ton, who spent two years in the jungles
of India and Borneo, in the search for
specimens of natural history, gives a
most interesting account of a baby
orang-outang which he possessed. The
little fellow was about six months old
when he was brought to Mr.. Hornaday
by some natives, and was of a mild and
gentle disposition, very different from
other young ones which fell into his
hands from time to time. and became
at once confiding, whining softly when
approached, and rolling up his big
brown eyes appealingly.
Judged by II standard of human
beauty" his owner says, she was per-
haps as ugly as any healthy child could
be and live; but for all that, his home
illness vac interesting; it seemed to
conform to- general plan of ugliness,
and nothing vss lacking to make itper-
feet"
His eyes wcr large, bright, and full
of intelligence, and he had the forehead
of a philosopher, and because of his
bald and shiny pate, his solemn,
wrinkled, melancholy visage, and an
air of profound gravity, he never had
any other name given him than "Old
MAN.
His height was about 90 inches, his
spread of arms "a! inches. and his
weight 10I pounds. With a short, thick
body, his arms were so long and his
legs so short that by STOPPING forward
a little his hands easily touched the
ground. In walking he always went
on a%ll-fours, turning his toes under.
and placing the back of the fingers and
the ball of the thumb on the ground.
His gait was that of a man going on
crutches, and he seemed quite out of
his element on the ground, but in
climbing, his feats were wonderful.
He very Dol learned to climb up
mis- masters body, to get a banana,
placed on his shoulder, and soon be-
came fond Of being held in his arms;
and when Mr.. Hornaday was tired of
holding him. he grasped the folds Of
his flannel shirt and hung on himself
quite different from human babies of
the sam age. Next to eating seven or
eight bananas as fast as he could, his
greatest delight seemed to be in lying
| n his masters lap. sprawling out with
legs and arms, and catching at every
thing within reach.
Sometimes at dinner he would sud-
denly seize a roast fowl, and have his
teeth in it before he could be stopped,
like a spoiled child of three or four
years. Sometimes he watched his mas
ter eating, squatted on the topmost
round of his chair, leaning forward
and resting his chin on his owners
shoulder. For a long time he would
eat nothing but bananas and sugar
cane, and Mr.. Hornaday was at his
wits ends to teach him to eat boiled
rice, which was necessary in travelling,
when they could not be sure of fruit.
Finally, as he was watching over the
shoulder, one day, he began to open
his mouth every time he saw a SPOON
fnl of rice coming, but was not allowed
to have it. Then he became very any,
ious for it, and Il little tantalizinr set
him struggling to get it, and after that
there was no difficulty about the rice,
especially if mixed with u little milk.
Then he learned to eat cooked meats, /
vegetables, canned fruit. bread and to
drink tea and coffee--in fact, all hui
man food-but was a teetotalcr. for he
never would drink wine, beer or spirits. |
The ''old man. soon grew fat, and al.
30 mischicyous, playing all sorts of
tricks and antics, and pretending to
bite his masters hand.
Sometimes he would make the most
comical faces. with his great, broad,
l~ndia-rubber lips, by the half-hour to.
gether, with the most curious contor.
lions of the limbs. For some time he
slept with his master-not being oh
%Iectionable, as he was very cleanobut.
as he got fat, he got. into the habit Of
snoring and sneczing, so that he had
% be put ia other quarters.